Woody Allen has been forced to clarify remarks made about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, after stating that he felt “sad” for the disgraced producer.

Allen was widely criticised for comments made on Saturday in which he expressed sympathy for Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual abuse and harassment by a growing number of women.

“The whole Harvey Weinstein thing is very sad for everybody involved,” he told the BBC. “Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that his life is so messed up. There’s no winners in that. It’s just very, very sad and tragic for those poor women that had to go through that.”

In the same interview Allen also warned that the revelations could lead to a “witch hunt atmosphere ... where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself”.

The director’s comments received widespread condemnation on Twitter, with Rose McGowan, who is one of the women accusing Weinstein of sexual assault, describing Allen as a “vile little worm”.

However, in a statement sent to Variety on Sunday, Allen said that his earlier remarks had been misconstrued. “When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man,” the statement read. “I was surprised it was treated differently. Lest there be any ambiguity, this statement clarifies my intention and feelings.”

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Weinstein faces allegations of sexual misconduct from more than two dozen women, following investigations made by the New York Times and the New Yorker in recent weeks. On Sunday it was reported that Scotland Yard were investigating five further allegations of sexual assault by three women against Weinstein in Britain. Meanwhile, two further allegations were made against Weinstein in the UK, one by the Hollyoaks actor Lysette Anthony that she says took place in the 1980s, and another by an unnamed former Miramax employee using the pseudonym Sarah Smith that relates to the 1990s. Through his spokeswoman, Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual sex.

Allen has worked with Weinstein on a number of films but claims that he had not heard the allegations made against the mogul. “No one ever came to me or told me horror stories with any real seriousness,” he said. “And they wouldn’t, because you are not interested in it. You are interested in making your movie. But you do hear a million fanciful rumours all the time. And some turn out to be true and some – many – are just stories about this actress or that actor.”

Allen has faced his own sexual abuse claims, with his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow accusing him of molesting her when she was seven years old. Dylan Farrow’s claims have been supported by her mother Mia Farrow and brother Ronan Farrow, who in 2015 wrote an op-ed for the Hollywood Reporter condemning the media for its handling of the allegations against Allen. The claims made against Allen were investigated at the time but he was not charged, and the director has always strongly denied them.

Ronan Farrow has also been a major figure in bringing to light the allegations against Weinstein, penning the New Yorker investigation into the producer’s behaviour. Farrow spoke to three women who accused Weinstein of rape, while several other women accused him of assault and harassment.